NOGALES — Mexico needs tourists and the news media overplaying
of the violence that has plagued the border is harmful to Ambos
Nogales, say the mayors of the two cities of Nogales.

Octavio Garcia-Von Borstel, mayor of Arizona city of Nogales,
and Marco Antonio Martinez Dabdoub, mayor of Nogales, Sonora,
seeking to reassure tourists and shoppers that the border is safe,
held a joint news conference Dec. 23 at the Morley Avenue
Pedestrian Port of Entry.

To make his point, Garcia-Von Borstel pointed to a front-page
article in a Tucson newspaper that reported Fort Huachuca officials
had warned soldiers not to travel to Mexico.

“The post has always required that soldiers gain permission”
from superiors before traveling abroad, he said. “This is nothing
new.”

To help ensure the safety of shoppers and tourists, Garcia-Von
Borstel said that municipal police and the Border Patrol in the
United States have stepped up bicycle patrols along the Arizona
side of the border.

On the Sonora side, Martinez Dabdoub said tourist police stand
at the ready not only for security, but to serve as a resource to
orient travelers to help create a “safe zone.”

In addition, Mexican federal special military forces remain in
Nogales, Sonora, where murders are up more than 200 percent. The
unofficial count for 2008 was 130 homicides, compared to 51 in
2007.

Garcia emphasized the killings are among the criminal element,
particularly the drug cartels.

“There has not been a homicide in Nogales, Arizona, in recent
history,” he said. “That is something the Nogales Police Department
and me as mayor are very proud of.”

Martinez Dabdoub said tourism is of vital importance to the
Mexican economy.

“We want visitors to have the certainty that in Mexico they will
be received with open arms because we need them so that our
citizens won’t have the necessity to migrate illegally to our
neighboring country and that they are not tempted to turn to
illicit activities,” Martinez Dabdoub said.

Manuel C. Coppola is editor and publisher of the Nogales
International, a newspaper owned by Wick Communications, which also
owns Inside Tucson Business.

Healthcare continues to be one of the fastest rising costs for both employers and employees in the U.S. According to a June PricewaterhouseCoopers report, healthcare costs are expected to rise another 6 percent in 2019, with many of these costs being absorbed by employees.

Six parcels of Arizona State Trust Land appraised at a combined $14.26 million were set for auction by the Arizona State Land Department this month. Five of the parcels are near Tucson, one is in Phoenix, and all together total 81 acres of land.